The Most Notable Restaurant Openings Of 2012

What. A. Year. My most notable closings post was an interesting compilation , but looking at the restaurants that have opened this year is even more illuminating. We've gained a lot of great restaurants. (And some not so great ones, too.) Here are some of the more notable spaces.
See Also:
The Biggest Restaurant Closings of 2012

Sundown at Granada(pictured above)
The restaurant and beer garden is owned and operated by Granada Theater owner Mike Schoder, and it quickly became one of my favorite places for an outdoor drink. I love watching people walk up and down Greenville Avenue with a cold beer in my hand, and there's a great beer list here, too.

Bridge Bistro
Kay Agnew (who opened Margaux's) and her daughter, Margaux, opened this restaurant in a corner spot of an old, but renovated building in the Design District. It's a nice dining room, and everyone who walks through the front door is treated like a regular there. The food is affoardable too.

Oak
Oak owners Tommy DeAlano and Richard Ellman hired Plan B (who designed Bolsa and Cedars Social) to create their chic space. The dining room opened and quickly became one of Dallas' most popular spots this year.

The Foundry?
Chef Tim Byres, Chris Jeffers and Chris Zielke, co-owners of Smoke, took over the old Jack's Backyard spot, and transformed it into The Foundry. The outdoor beer garden is one of the best bars in Dallas.

Manuel's Creative Cuisine
The Mexican restaurant opened on Oak Lawn in March, and despite an interesting concept and menu has remained relatively quiet.

Driftwood

Lauren Drewes Daniels

Driftwood
Oak Cliff got a new "upscale-casual" seafood restaurant. If you're looking for dressed up fish, you might like this spot. John Tesar's recently opened Spoon may be stealing the seafood spotlight in the new year, though.

DaLat The new late-night pho spot, located in the old RedFork Tavern building on Fitzhugh, is still alive and kicking after midnight. If you're craving a hot bowl of Pho and don't want to treck out to the suburbs, this is the place to get it.

The Standard Pour: Uptown's latest "cocktail den" is open and pouring drinks on McKinney Avenue. Lately I've been hearing a lot about the food they're turning out and I'm excited to see what they're up to in the coming year.

Tried and True
Nick Badovinus, the man behind the Neighborhood Services restaurant group, opened his new '70s-themed eatery in the space where Neighborhood Services Tavern once called home. Bring enough money to commandeer the jukebox and enjoy the oysters on the half shell.

Spoon Bar & Kitchen Chef John Tesar's latest culinary project is open in Preston Center. They serve seafood. Have you tried it yet?

Bowl and Barrel
The new bowling alley, restaurant and bar's menu includes everything from hand-cut fries served with Trappist aioli and curry ketchup, fried quail drumsticks, oysters and a 1/2-pound burger. Maybe you'll get a new pair of bowling shoes for Christmas this year. This could be your new place.